school

One and a half years ago the Tasajera Summer School Project had its beginning; it started with an idea. Now that we find ourselves executing the project, I can only think of the phrase “making dreams come true.”

The reality of this dream is not only for us (the project directors), but it’s equally a dream come true to the 45 students who are currently learning Computers and English through this project. As you can see in the video update below, the students are learning a lot already and have the desire to learn much more.

At the moment, only Suzy Marselis and I (Daniel) are teaching classes in Tasajera, but very soon the Spanish volunteers form the University of Alcala de Henares are arriving to lead Reading and Writing, Nursing, and Organic Gardening classes.

If asked how did we make this project happen, I would say there is no definite recipe for it. I can surely say, however, that everything depends on good networking and being open to collaborate with others.

Key actors in the organization of this event are: Pastor Aristides Arce, a community leader who facilitates our communication with the local school; Glenda Olmedo, one of the local school teachers who represents the school for our project; Suzanne Marselis, a Dutch PhD student that wrote the project proposal and raised funds; Edgar Hita, a Spanish director of cooperation in Central America from the UAH in Spain who facilitates Spanish volunteers to Tasajera Island.

In addition, there are countless people who helped this project start, from those who provided research to those who contributed financially, and even those who gave much needed moral support or wise advice. We are eternally grateful to all, but the people in Tasajera Island are truly grateful!

I set out to investigate the current academic situation in the community. I met with the teacher and the director of local public school and toured the facility. The first-hand experience, besides learning of the teacher’s perspective, reassured me of the urgency in which EMANA has to act. The conditions are so bad that they may be reaching a tipping point.

The plan is to develop strong connections with all actors of the community; also called community engagement phase. November is a very important month in which a multi-sectoral committee, which will oversee the Summer School project, will be formed and meet regularly to determine which way is best to intervene with the school.

broken water pump

water container

storage?

The Relation Youth-Education:

“Being a teenager is a sin here in El Salvador” stated Francisco, a member of ADESCO (Community Development Association), as he explained the risk teenagers find themselves in when gangs control certain territories. In several areas of El Salvador, gang members demand students to join their gangs, and if they deny they get shot.

This is a warzone, and young people are the most vulnerable in communities where their parents are afraid of sending them to school, because they are concerned they won’t come back. This is the reason why our project focuses on education, to reach out and empower those young kids who are afraid of learning.

What’s the current condition in Tasajera?

There are 2 schools in Tasajera. One is public (k-9), and is funded by state funds, and the other is private (k-12), and is funded by Christian organizations. It’s worth mentioning that all high school students in Tasajera go to the private Christian school to earn a high school degree.

About the Public School:

Infrastructure

Even though the infrastructure of the public school has been recently restored with support of Spanish NGO Ayuda en Accion, it still faces great challenges before it can be considered a safe learning place.

Kids in recess

Student dishes and cups

Desks outside

Among the main issues are the lack of general hygiene and cleaning, non-functioning bathrooms, unfiltered groundwater, rundown outer walls, insufficient and broken desks. In addition, I observed a lack of learning supplies (books, notepads, pencils, etc.) and supplies for extracurricular activities.

Educational Capacity

In terms of the educational quality of the public school, there are a few issues that were synthesized after several interviews with teachers and community members. A main issue is the fact that there are only 2 teachers in the school (including the Director) who take care of about 120 students. This problem is attributed to the lack of funds of the student families to cover the education cost entirely. In addition, public funds are very limited and according to the Director, Carlos Velasquez, it is only enough to cover a few books and materials, but not enough for every student.

Storage?

school shop

Director Carlos V.

Educational Needs

The teacher and Director of the public school expressed the need to strengthen reading and writing in young students, because there are many 6th graders that cannot read properly or write. This is a big concern when it concerns the learning abilities of students and the side-effects poor reading/writing skills have on learning as a whole.

In addition, the Director expressed the concerns about the self-esteem of students and the need for psychological interventions to assess and improve character development counteract the psychological effects of broken families, poverty, and deteriorating social fabric.

About the Private Christian School:

There is less to mention about the Christian School “El Sembrador”, because in a way, they are better suited than the public school. This school is part of a church and is being funded by the central “El Sembrador” church in San Salvador. Thus, it is perceived to have higher quality teachers and education.

However, after interviewing Ernesto Peralta, Director, I found out that in fact the challenges are similar in terms of the students; all students belong to the same community and have the same poverty and social problems. Finally, we agreed that both Directors (Public and Private) will join the Committee to work together on an educational intervention that is community-centered.